BREAKING NEWS: Election results are in

November 8, 2011

Newton City Council incumbents Tom Rowe, Mary Bess Lawing and Wayne Dellinger won re-election to the board Tuesday, all receiving more votes than challenger Mae Lutz McLean.

Vote tallies included 714 for Rowe, 645 for Lawing, 628 for Dellinger and 292 for McLean.

Conover
Conover City Council incumbents Don Beal and Kyle Hayman gained the most votes and will retain their seats. Bruce Eckard, a former Conover mayor and councilman, will join Beal and Hayman on the board. Eckard takes a seat now held by Corpening, who withdrew from the race in October.

Beal received 591 votes, Hayman received 584 and Eckard received 458.

Maiden
Maiden Town Council incumbents Max Bumgarner Jr. (208 votes) and Howard Ervin (184 votes) retain their seats on the board. They will be joined by George McClellan (169 votes), a former council member, who unseats incumbent David Boldon, who received 58 votes.

Mayor Bob Smyre ran unopposed and will serve another term. He received 291 votes.

Newton-Conover City Schools board
Jeanne Jarrett received the most votes (522) among school board candidates in the Conover district and will replace incumbent Mark Murphy (297 votes) on the board. She will be joined by current board Chairman Scott Loudermelt, who received 484 votes.

Jim Stockner, who ran unopposed, received 616 votes and retains his Newton seat on the board.

Claremont
Claremont City Council incumbents Dale Sherrill and Nicky Setzer won re-election to the board, and they will be joined by newcomer Dale Setzer Jr. Dale Setzer tallied 115 votes, while Sherrill received 110 and Nicky Setzer received 89.

Voter turnout
Only 8 percent of eligible registered Catawba County voters participated in the 2011 election. Of 47,419 registered voters, 3,865 cast ballots in municipal and school board races.